CITOLA

Bio

Giuseppe Severini.

Graduated in 1981 at Universitas Studiorum Mediolanensis, in Medieval History, then joined Classic Mandolin class at Conservatory Pollini, Padua and moving his first steps in Lutherie following some well known luthiers as Carlo Raspagni, Vincenzo de Bonis and others. He dedicated several studies to baroque mandolin with special attention to its involvement in Opera buffa and Commedia dell’Arte, then to reconstruction of stringed instruments of the Middle Ages, Viellas and Symphonias mainly. Some articles published in reviews, exhibitions of Lutherie in Italy and France, concerts (playing Oud, Hurdy Gurdy, Psaltery and vocals) and teaching in his Casa della Musica e della Liuteria in Randazzo, Sicily, a Medieval house in which everybody can see his workshop and the permanent exhibition of over 60 reconstructions of music instruments from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. In one hour lesson he explains origins and features of many instruments, playing all of them to the public (max.50 listeners).

ORGANISTRUM . Sound box carved from one piece of Red Willow, sound board, Spruce. Eleven keys, allowing to play two octaves full chromatic scale along the three gut strings. Two lines polyphonic playing with drone.

REBEC, XV century (Beato Angelico, Tabernacolo de’Linaioli.) Not hyperphilological.
This instrument, body entirely carved in Maple, curved sound board in Spruce, three gut strings, no soundpole, is the direct ancestor of the Violin and the closest to it, in measures and way of playing.

VIELLA , from sculpture in Nicosia Cathedral (Enna), XIV century.
Head, neck and sound board carved in one piece of Fir, flat back in Cypress. Double melody strings, two other single strings on fret board, one drone string out of the fingerboard. Slightly curved bridge.

ITALIAN CETRA, from B. Antelami’s sculpture in Parma baptistery, XII century.
I previously made many of these instruments with the standard technique: body/neck carved in one piece and sound board added. Now I carve the block upside-down, adding a flat bac.